Reader reviews

A genuinely enjoyable read that also taught me a great deal.

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. I have already recommended it to two colleagues and will recommend it to more.

The clearest explanation of game programming I have come across.

I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. The chapters on game programming are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. If you have the prerequisites, this is an easy recommendation. I will be keeping it on my desk rather than the shelf.

Good book. The writing is direct and the author is honest about limits.

I read this over a couple of weekends alongside a small side project, which turned out to be the ideal way to approach it. The chapters on javascript are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. Solid, and I would buy another book from this author without hesitation.

Strong content, uneven pacing. I would still recommend it.

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.

Excellent from start to finish. No filler, no padding.

There is a particular kind of technical book that is dense without being difficult, and this is one of them. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. The book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with game design.

Genuinely excellent — I finished it in a week and immediately started again.

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. I have already recommended it to two colleagues and will recommend it to more.